Asia's waters are abuzz with excitement, and at CruiseWorld Asia
2023, cruise port leaders predict the rebound momentum will extend into
growth 2024.
Speaking at Travel Weekly Asia’s annual cruise conference, Lionel
Wong, CEO of SATS-Creuers Cruise Services – operator of the Marina Bay
Cruise Centre Singapore – shared Singapore's remarkable post-pandemic
recovery from 2019, when the terminal received 320 ports of call and
nearly 1.8 million in passenger footfall.
“This year we are at 303 ports of calls, but passenger load is
probably going to exceed 1.8 million. Cruise line partners not only
continue to sail with us but bring larger ships and that’s where the
larger numbers come from.”
Hong Kong’s Jeff Bent, managing director at Worldwide Cruise
Terminals, which manages the Kai Tai Cruise Terminal, reported similar
“fantastic” numbers, despite restarting sailing a little later than Singapore.
In 2024, the number of ships calling into Hong Kong is expected to increase by 50%. This includes international vessels such as Resorts World Cruises' Resorts World One, which was the first ship to homeport in the city since January 2022; Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas homeporting in Hong Kong from next year, and Norwegian Cruise Line, which has included a stop in Hong Kong for the first time in four years for its 2024/25 season in Southeast Asia.
Connectivity drives cruising demand
What has surprised Bent, is how China’s high-speed rail has opened up
the central provinces for Resorts World Cruises' Hong Kong sailings,
enabling more seamless inter-modal connectivity. Infrastructure is
pivotal, he added.
“Pre-pandemic, the model was that people would take the train for up
to four hours; and if it’s longer than that, they fly. But now, people
are very willing to take cruises from very far away such as Chengdu,
Chongqing, Guizhou…on the high-speed [Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong
Express Rail Link]”.
Bent also noted the uncertainty of flight delays, as opposed to the
stability and convenience of the rail which has really “shifted the
source market for people sailing in Hong Kong”.
Prasetyo, director of strategy, PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo),
indicated the same infrastructural strengthening plans for Indonesia.
Plans are underway to appoint Bali's Benoa Port as a tourism hub. By
2028, improved basic infrastructure will allow an increased port
capacity to receive five cruises or approximately 15,000 passengers
simultaneously.
More “supporting hubs” will also be built, in eastern Benoa, Ambon
(east) and Tanjung Pinang (west). “The target is to serve beyond quantum
class, to expedition class and super yachts,” said Prasetyo.
Which comes first: infrastructure or ship calls?
Bent added that building more side berths in Southeast Asia will also
be beneficial, upping the appeal for cruise lines and travellers from
the same homeport to try new places.
Ultimately, building back stronger will be about “integration between
infrastructure, community and destination, and good government
support,” said Prasetyo.
While infrastructure is needed for a cruise ship to be able to make
regular calls at a port, Wong also urged industry players to think out
of the box and work around challenges.
“There's a legendary story in the market. Michael Goh (of Resorts
World Cruises) tried to bring a Dream class ship to Christmas Island.
There's nothing there so they pretty much had to sail in all the coaches
to deal with 3,000 passengers getting off the ship and roaming
Christmas Island. There was very little infrastructure to support that,
but they were prepared to do this.
“So where there's a will, there's a way. If there’s a demand for an
interesting place with less than optimal infrastructure, they'll make it
happen,” he remarked. “Ingenuity will always trump the lack of
infrastructure.”